New Testament Revision 1
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Source Note
New Testament Revision 1, 8 Mar.–ca. June 1831; handwriting of ; 65 pages; CCLA. Includes redactions.The Bible revision manuscripts remained in JS’s possession throughout his life—except during a brief period in 1838 and another in 1839. Upon the death of JS, the manuscript was in possession of his wife for over twenty years, until 1867 when she gave it to her son in order for the RLDS Church to publish The Holy Scriptures.Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 1 presented here is used with generous permission of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. It was published earlier, with some differences in style, in Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 153–228.
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Historical Introduction
As noted in the introduction to Old Testament Revision 1, in June 1830, JS and began recording a revelation related to Moses and other prominent Old Testament figures. (See Visions of Moses, June 1830 [Moses 1].) Eventually this work expanded into what is now designated as the Book of Moses and a complete revelatory re-reading, reviewing, and revising of the Bible, an endeavor that came to be known as JS’s “New Translation,” or Bible revision. By March 1831, JS and his scribes created a sixty-one-page manuscript containing a narrative account of the visions of Moses and a revised version of the Old Testament book of Genesis, from the beginning to chapter 24, verse 41. (See Old Testament Revision 1.)JS set that work aside when instructed in a March 1831 revelation to instead begin work on the New Testament. (Revelation, ca. 7 Mar. 1831 [D&C 45:60–61].) He and began the new document on 8 March 1831, titling it “A Translation of the New Testament translated by the power of God.” It is currently designated as New Testament Revision 1 and consists of sixty-five pages, all of it in Rigdon’s hand.New Testament Revision 1, presented here, begins with Matthew 1:1 and continues through part of Matthew 26:71. It was copied almost immediately by , who had been directed by revelation to “write & keep a regulal [regular] history & assist my servant Joseph in Transcribing all things which shall be given him.” (Revelation, ca. 8 Mar. 1831–B [D&C 47:1].) Whitmer’s copy (New Testament Revision 2) became the working copy of the New Testament for the revision project, and JS’s subsequent corrections to the text were inscribed on it. Consequently, New Testament Revision 1 is largely free from later revisions and emendations. Although the exact date JS stopped work on New Testament Revision 1 is unknown, it was apparently prior to his and ’s journey to in June 1831. (JS History, vol. A-1, 126.) John Whitmer’s copying of the manuscript began in early April 1831 and continued until shortly after JS and Sidney Rigdon stopped working on New Testament Revision 1.An analysis of both New Testament manuscripts indicates that JS made changes to about 2,100 New Testament verses (Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 5). He introduced several significant changes to the King James New Testament text in New Testament Revision 1. Among other revisions, he revised and clarified material related to Matthew 24, John the Baptist’s role, and some aspects of the Sermon on the Mount and the Beautitudes. (See, Faulring et al., Joseph Smith’s New Translation of the Bible, 157.)Note: The transcript of New Testament Revision 1 presented here is used with generous permission of the Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center. It was published earlier, with some differences in style, in Scott H. Faulring, Kent P. Jackson, and Robert J. Matthews, eds., Joseph Smith's New Translation of the Bible: Original Manuscripts (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 2004), 153–228.
make him twofold more the child of hell than he was before like unto yourselves wo unto you blind guides who say whosoever shall swear by the Temple it is nothing but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the Temple he hath committed sin and is a debtor you are fools and blind for which is the greatest the gold or the Temple that sanctyfieth the gold and ye say whosoever shall swear by the Alter it is nothing but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it he is guilty o fools and blind for which is the greatest the gift or the Alter that sanctifieth the gift verily I say unto you whoso therefore shall swear by it sweareth by the Alter and by all things thereon and whoso shall swear by the Temple sweareth by it and by him who dwelleth therein and he that shall swear by heaven sweareth by the throne of God and by him who sitteth thereon wo unto you Scribes and Pharasees hypocrites for you pay tithe of mint and annes and cummim and have omitted the weightier things of the law and of judgement mercy and faith these ought ye to have done and not to leave the others undone you blind guides who strain at a gnat and swallow a Camel who make yourselves appear unto men that you would not commit the least sin and yet you yourselves transgress the whole law Wo unto you Scribes and Pharasees hypocrites for you make clean the out side of the cup and of the platter but within they are full of extortion and excees you blind Pharasees cleanse first the cup and platter within that the outside of them may be clean also Wo unto you Scribes and Pharasees hypocrites for you are like unto whited Sepulchres which indeed appear beautifull outward but are within full of the bones of the dead and of all uncleanness even so you also outwardly appear righteous unto men but within you are full of hypocrecy and iniquity Wo unto you Scribes and Pharasees hypocrites because you build the tombs of the prophets and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous and say if we had been in the days of our fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets wherefore you are wittnesses unto yourselves of your own wickedness and you are the children of them who killed the prophets and will fill up the measure then of your fathers for you yours [p. 55]
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